Ashley Cole’s England career looks safe for now, after FA Chairman David Bernstein confirmed the defender will not face a ban as he has apologised to him personally. Bernstein said "He showed real remorse. I looked him in the eye and I accept that. He is free to play for England." The Chairman did go on to say, however, that he didn’t expect Cole would be captain when playing his 100th game, Cole currently has 98 caps for his country. Roy Hodgson hasn’t confirmed if Cole will start on Friday, but has expressed relief at the resolution of the issue.

A player Chelsea may try and sign in January is Loic Remy, who they were rumoured to have targeted in the summer. The Marseilles striker would probably cost upwards of €15 million. The same reports have suggested this could be as a replacement for Daniel Sturridge, rather than to add to the striking ranks.

As Theo Walcott’s contract talks hit another setback, with the club saying they won’t bow to his wage demands, Chelsea are reportedly one of the clubs who may look to sign the winger in the summer. Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said he hoped the situation could be resolved, but they made Walcott a “very reasonable offer,” before the start of the season that was rejected by the player.

Nick Harris

I'm Nick Harris, Spurs fan and sports writer. Alongside HITC, I'm the founder, editor, writer, and fan of footballspirals.com and can be found on Twitter - @nicksharris. When I'm not watching sport I'm usually drinking coffee and checking updates on my phone in an antisocial manner.